Ready, Set, Don't Go
by Venom Malfoy
Summary: Helga is all grown up, and Big Bob has to face that she's going to move away, start a family, and live her life. Quick story told from Big Bob's point of view. Not a songfic, but based on Billy Ray Cyrus's song.


**Title of Fan Fiction**: Ready, Set, Don't Go  
**Origin**: Hey Arnold  
**Genre**: General/Family  
**Chapter**: Default  
**Summary**: Helga is all grown up, and Big Bob has to face that she's going to move away, start a family, and live her life. 

I watched as she threw one of her pink dresses into a suitcase, the material spilling over the side. She was grumbling to herself, something that I had come to know as part of her routine. I may not have been the greatest father, but I knew my daughters. Years ago, Olga had left us to go to college, and now, here my youngest was, up and ready to leave us forever. I caught a few words as they left her mouth. Something about "blowhard" and "never cared". I felt my heart break, knowing all too well she was talking about me. Did she really think I never cared about her? Granted, I know I never showed her any tenderness or compassion, but we Patakis are just not like that. My father was like that. My grandfather was like that. It's hard for us to show our emotions, even if we do feel them to the point of breaking. I bit my lip and opened the door slightly, happy that she hadn't noticed me yet. I cleared my throat, watching as my youngest jumped.

"Hey, Olga," I muttered.

"It's _Helga_, Dad," she replied, bitterness in her tone.

Why could I never get her name right? Well, for one thing she looked so much like her older sister. Then, there was the fact she was just as brilliant as my oldest, maybe even more so. She was a true Pataki. She could have won so many more awards if she had just tried, if she didn't care about stepping on people along the way. That was one way she differed from Olga. My oldest didn't care about who she stepped on in order to get to the top. I admired Helga for that. "Helga, right."

"What do you want, Bob?" she asked, throwing a pair of white sneakers into a duffel bag. I stared at my youngest for a few minutes before replying. Her long blond hair was tied back in a low ponytail, completed by her pink ribbon. I looked around her room for a second, trying to figure out why I had never noticed my little girl's favorite color was pink.

"You're really leaving?" I asked.

She stopped packing to put her hands on her hips and glare at me. "Doi," she muttered, her eyebrows narrowing. "I got accepted into Yale. Of course I'm leaving."

I shuffled my foot nervously. "Yale's not too far away, Helga. You could save some money and just commute, you know." Her baby blue eyes widened and I smiled softly.

"What makes you think I want to stay here any longer than I have to?"

Her bitterness pierced my heart and I lowered my gaze to the floor. "I just thought..."

"You thought wrong, _Dad_. I want out of Hillwood, once and for all." She returned to her packing and unceremoniously threw another dress into her suitcase. I walked over to the dark red luggage and pulled out her dress, folding it neatly.

"You could fit more in here if you weren't just throwing things in at random," I whispered, folding the remainder of her clothes and replacing them into her suitcase. When I looked up from my work, I noticed she was staring at me, her big blue eyes wide and surprised. I smiled. She had inherited her mother's eyes, whereas Olga had inherited mine. "Do you want some help packing?"

Her glare returned to her feminine face. "Can't wait to finally get rid of me, can you Bob?"

I stared at her, shocked. "Where would you get an idea like that?"

She growled softly, but I still heard it. "Don't play stupid with me, Bob. I'm not a moron. You can't wait until I finally leave home. I've never been happy here with you and Miriam, and you know it. I've been in Olga's shadow for the entirety of my life, and I personally can't wait to get out of here. I've been miserable since I can remember. You never gave a damn about me, and I'm getting away from here."

I never knew she felt that way about us. I guess I was blind when it came to my daughter. When she was younger, I was so caught up in whatever Olga was trying to succeed in that I suppose I never paid attention to Helga. When Olga had moved away to college, I got wrapped up in my beeper emporium and Miriam's addiction. I was tired and aggitated when I came home to find Miriam passed out on the couch and Helga beratting me for accidentally forgetting to pick her up from school. I suppose it was all my fault for not keeping my family in order. I sighed sadly and continued to fold more clothes that Helga was packing. After a few minutes of silence, I noticed that all her dresses, shirts, jeans, socks and underwear was packed and ready to go.

"I've always cared about you," I whispered softly. "Even if I never showed it, I've always loved you, Helga." I heard a small thump behind me and turned, noticing that she had dropped her hairbrush onto the floor. I walked over, picked the hairbrush up and put it into her duffel bag. "I'm proud of you," I whispered as I continued to pack her things. "I've always been proud of you."

"Bob," she whispered.

"You got into Yale on the scholarship for your poetry and acting. You're going to make something out of yourself. You're going to go all the way to the top, Helga. I've always believed that." I smiled at her, not letting her know that inside my heart was breaking. Olga had graduated from college long ago, but she was still struggling to make something of herself. She had gotten herself married, but it was to a man that we all knew was trying to take an easy way out. Helga would never let someone mooch off her like that though. She was already fabulous.

"Dad."

"Just promise me that you won't be like Olga."

"But, you've always wanted me to be like her."

"No," I whispered, putting my hands on her shoulders. I never noticed just how gentle she was. Fragile, but stronger than anyone I had ever seen. She had carried the world on her shoulders since I could remember, and that made her stronger. "I've always wanted you to be you, Helga. You could have accomplished anything if you set your mind to it. I've always known that. I pushed you to be the best you could be. I tried to make you stronger, but I only pushed you away. You were already strong enough for all of us."

"Dad," she whispered, her voice cracking.

"Promise me you'll do your best at Yale," I asked, pleeding with her. She nodded and hugged me. It was the first time I had held my daughter in my arms like that. I smiled softly, stroking her blond hair. We both jumped when her cell phone began to ring and she pulled away from my arms, brushing her eyes with the back of her hand. I felt my heart sting when I realized she had been crying.

"Hello?" she answered, turning from me so that I couldn't see how red her eyes had gotten. "Hey, Arnold. I'll be down in a minute." She paused as Arnold replied on the other side. I couldn't hear him, but I knew that she would be leaving me very soon. "Just tying up some loose ends, Football-Head. I'll be right there." She paused again and I saw her smile. "I love you too. Bye." She turned back to face me and smiled sadly. "Dad, do you mind taking down one of my suitcases for me?"

I nodded, grabbed the largest of the two suitcases, and together, we walked downstairs in silence. She sighed and opened the front door to where Arnold was outside by his car, waiting for her. I knew he was going to take her to Yale and help her get situated in her new dorm. I had known for weeks that he was taking care of her, where I could not. I made eye contact with the young man who had captured my daughter's heart as he took her suitcase from me. "Take care of her," I whispered to him. He blinked in surprise and nodded, putting her suitcase in the back of his car.

Time sped up as all of her things were put into his car and he had climbed into the driver's seat. I felt my heart breaking even more as she approached me and threw her arms around my neck. "I love you, Daddy," she whispered and then she was gone, ready to start a life of her own. I don't remember how long I had stood on my stoop and cried, but by the time I had turned to go back inside my empty house, night had fallen and my life continued as normal.


End file.
